HQAN Alumni Interview Series: Kai Shinbrough

I believe the most urgent and fundamental problem in QISE is one identified by M. D. Lukin in a talk I believe he gave in a UIUC Physics Colloquium -- the tradeoff, in all large quantum systems, between complexity and control. One can relatively easily create a large quantum system with very limited quantum control, or a few qubit quantum system with immaculate quantum control, but the challenge -- and the reward -- comes with creating large quantum systems that still posses high-quality quantum control.

I would argue we still need more "killer apps" for quantum technology. Once we as a community can figure out what a large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer is good for, I believe the workforce will come. Once there is a good motivation to learn quantum information science, the workforce will become quantum-savvy.

The research I did in graduate school, demonstrating a 3-order-of-magnitude enhancement in the speed of atomic ensemble quantum memories allowed me to forge connections across disciplines into the field of trapped ion quantum computation, where I now work on fast gates and continuous variable quantum computation using ion qubits.

My advice would start with the general motivation that this is an excellent time to join the quantum community -- we are on the brink of creating society-changing technology, and this should excite them -- and then I would offer the general advice that one should make their career and research their own. Find out what your style of research is, and run with it; don't try to do science the way you think everyone wants it to be done -- this is a recipe for bland research, and besides, you won't be as motivated or as successful as you would be doing things your own way.